The Secrets to Long Lasting Cut Hydrangeas

Love hydrangeas? Learn the secrets to long lasting cut hydrangeas! These simple tips will keep your hydrangeas fresh and beautiful for a week or longer.

Nothing makes your home feel more alive than one or two arrangements of fresh flowers. Every once in a while, I pick up a few grocery store bouquets of flowers just to lift my spirits. This week, my Kroger had the prettiest hydrangeas and since my garden hydrangeas aren’t blooming yet, I couldn’t resist. It also gave me the opportunity to share with all of you a few secrets for making your cut hydrangeas last longer. These three simple tips will help keep your hydrangeas from wilting and last up to a week…maybe longer.

The Secrets to Long Lasting Cut Hydrangeas

Tip #1: Cut off all lower leaves.

The first thing to do is snip off all the leaves below the bloom. Leaves are moisture suckers and they muddy the water in your container.

Tip #2: Cut stems at an angle with a sharp knife.

In order to get the most water to the bloom, the stems need a sharp, long cut. Use a knife and cut the stem at an angle that is at least 2 inches long. Hold the stem down firmly with a few fingers to make the cutting easier. It’s important to have a sharp knife because hydrangea stems are quite tough.

Tip #3: Dip cut stem in a jar of Alum.

The easiest thing to do is to pick up a jar of alum at the grocery store (in the spice aisle) and keep it on hand for your cut hydrangeas. As you cut the stems, dip them quickly into the alum jar and then plunge them into water. Once you dip a stem in the jar, clearly you can’t use it for anything else!

*Some links in this post lead to shops or websites, like Amazon, where I am an affiliate. Click HERE for my complete disclosure statement.

UPDATE: I had a few questions so I wanted to add some additional information!

What does the alum do? I have no idea how it actually works, but the alum keeps the end of the hydrangea stem open so it will take in as much water as possible. Sometimes when hydrangeas are cut, a sticky liquid comes out which blocks the water. Alum eliminates this so the stem stays open.

Will this method work on other flowers? Generally speaking, this method will work on stems that are woody. In other words, it’s worth a try on stems that are cut from perennials or shrubs that do not die down in the fall. Some examples are roses, dogwood, lilacs, etc.

A bit off the subject but I had a reader recommend a fertilizer called Jack’s. It’s a 20-20-20 mixture and can be found at nurseries or by clicking HERE. She said it worked wonders on her hydrangea plants and that her blooms were spectacular. When it comes to blooming hydrangeas, I’m willing to try anything so I ordered a container. I’ll let you know what happens!

The blue striped pitcher: The pitcher was a Mother’s Day gift from my daughter and I am obsessed with it! She got it at a store called Urban Home & Garden but unfortunately they do not have a website. So I decided to see if I could find it someplace else and sure enough I did. CLICK HERE FOR THE BLUE STRIPED PITCHER!

If you are lucky enough to have hydrangeas blooming in your garden, I hope you cut a few and try out this method. If not, treat yourself to a bouquet the next time you are at the grocery. You definitely deserve it.

Thank you for stopping by…see you soon.

Join the OSP email subscriber list and get a handy printable check list that includes these tips plus many more!

(If you are already a subscriber, the checklist is available in the OSP Members Only Resource Library.)

Hi Susan! The best way to dry hydrangeas is to let them dry on the bush. Wait until they are almost dry and then cut the stem. Place them in a vase with no water to finish drying. Don’t smush the blooms though…make sure they get plenty of air. I also have a series of posts on limelight hydrangeas that talks about drying. Here’s the link: https://www.onsuttonplace.com/category/garden/limelight-hydrangeas/ Enjoy!

Thank you for the tips! I love hydrangeas and so wish I could grow them here; unfortunately it just gets too hot and they can’t take the sun. I don’t have anywhere here at the house where I could plant then where they would be shaded :( I can remember when I was a kid and my grandma was living she used to have the most beautiful hydrangea bushes along the back of her house off to the side of her porch; luckily it faced the north.

Anne, thank you for these tips; I ordered both the alum and fertilizer from Amazon…can’t wait to try them. Also, thanks for responding so promptly re the font info. I created several framed quotes for my granddaughter that came out just great! Keep writing – I enjoy your blog!

Thanks for the wealth of information, Ann! I stopped trying to cut my hydrangeas for indoor bouquets, because within 24 hours, they were quite wilted and unattractive. I’m going to put your tips, (especially the alum) to use and see what happens! As always, you have the best suggestions and ideas on all things home and garden. Thank you so much for sourcing your beautiful pitcher, it will make a beautiful wedding gift for the summer weddings.

Many of my neighbors have hydrangeas *trying* to bloom in the front of their homes, but many of them are not being careful to keep them watered. There are several plants that look like weeping willows instead of hydrangeas. :-( Thanks for the tips!

Random silly thought… has anyone ever asked if these types of tips work on faux flowers? Wouldn’t that just be jaw-dropping if they asked?! I know, weird thought, huh? I think it’s because I’m dealing with an employee that thinks this way… I’m not kiddin’. @.@

Love your posts Ann, always helpful!! I really enjoy the hydrangeas; fresh bouquets and dried arrangements. Now that I know about the alum I will definetly be picking more for the house and porch. Thanks for all you do; love your style.

Hi Ann Did you know that if you wish to dry your Hydrangeas simply put them in a dry vase . This works well with peonies too! But they must be cut when they are at there best to get lovely keepsake blossoms.

Thanks Ann! I love my hydrangeas but keeping the cut ones more than a day has always been a hit or miss challenge for me. Now that I have some tips to preserve my favorite flowers, I’m looking forward to being surrounded by these beauties indoors and out. Thanks again for sharing!

This is an excellent post for hydrangeas lovers. Mine actually bloomed this year but the blooms are small. Still trying to figure out what isn’t working… May have to try alum on the lilacs when they bloom next spring.

I’m eager to try the alum. Another trick that works for me is to immediately plunge the freshly cut, stripped stems into very hot water and allow the water to cool before arranging in fresh water. The stems can be recut and the hot water treatment repeated if the blooms start to look wilty. I think this is a hint from Martha Stewart. Enjoy hydrangea days!! I love your posts. ❤️❤️

I love your style and have copied your ideas many times. Thank you so much for sharing your life, your lovely home, and all that’s in it. BTW, I just ordered the white/blue striped pitcher. I can’t wait until it arrives!

When your hydrangeas become wilted as they easily do. Submerge them in a sinkful of water they will rehydrate . I have had them become wilted on my way into the house! Give them a fresh cut first. I worked in a flower shop. Did this often. They are amazing flowers

Ann How timely your piece on hydrangeas was. I have a new garden this season and the hydrangeas are in full bloom, I can’t wait to take some cuttings and try your suggestion to make them last longer. Thank you for shading.

I shall have to get alum. I’ve never purchased it before!! I had hydrangeas early on but we had such a hot spell that mine just fried. It’s been cooler so I’m hoping the new flowers will last longer again!!Thank you for another great tip!!

Ann, I’ve always known to cut woody stems at an angle and to remove lower leaves to avoid them rotting in the water, but the bit about them being water-suckers is new to me. Also, is this method effective with other types of woody-stemmed flowers? I’ve heard, too, or read, that you should crush the ends of woody stems to allow more water to be absorbed. Have you ever heard that?j

I don’t have a hydrangea bus—yet. But I’m waiting for them to go on sale at my local garden center. They are so pretty in just about any vase or other container.

This year all three of my hydrangeas are loaded with blooms ???? So glad you posted this as I’ve never had the best luck when I cut some of mine.Can’t wait for them to all bloom. Always look forward to your posts.

I have never tried this…but this year I will. We are no where near blooms yet in Minnesota. My peonies are just now starting to bud and pop. Today we had a horrible rain storm go through and looking out my window many of my peony stems are down:(

Love all your hydrangea tips! I follow them diligently and you are spot on. Thank you. Love your blue and white vase. Also for those that live near a Trader Joe’s they too have lovely hydrangea bunches.

Hi Anne, What a great post! I thought I would share what I have been doing the last few years with my hydrangeas. I live in Columbus, Ohio. My hydrangeas are on the side of the garage & do not get sunlight till afternoon. Opposite of what you think it should be. I wish I could remember what we did to the soil before planting them. I have an Endless Summer which was a monster last year & looks to be even bigger this year & just starting to bloom. I forget what my other 2 are. I need to look them up. One has multi-colored blooms & the other is kind of strawberry colored. They are much smaller but have only been planted 2 & 3 yr’s ago. I used Miracle Grow Bloom Booster for years & loved it. But a few years ago I was in Amish country in Ohio & stopped at a nursery to browse & asked for some, I was told they did not like it. They said it was missing some ingredients they like. They used a product called Jack’s. It is a 20-20-20 mixture. I have been using it ever since & it is wonderful! I can get it t my local nursery. I also periodically use an aluminum sulfate mixture around the perimeter of my Endless Summer to keep the blue-purple color which I adore. I can tell when it needs more as the color starts to get lighter but I get the most interesting shades! I get throat divine bouquets! Last year for th first time I managed to cut some blooms to dry at the right time which I never seem to be able to do. I still have 2 that are small but I love them knowing they are mine. ???? I want a Limelight so bad but don’t know where I would put it. I will post a photo to my Instagram this week of what they look like right now & also what I bought recently for the color, it is a different product for me this year. I assume it is a mixture that has aluminum sulfate in it. I bought it at my local nursery. I also want to try rooting some cuttings high sounds very simple to do. I could have a yard full of hydrangeas! Look for me @quiltsick on Instagram. Sorry for the long post!

Wish i had this posting earlier My Hydrangeas have been blooming for about a month. Thanks for the tip because they are still blooming so the ones I cut now will last a lot longer!!!! Keep the good post coming love your articles. Regina

Out here in Southern California, my hydrangeas are in full-tilt-boogie-bloom! Just the other day, I cut 4 of them and put them out for display. I did remove all leaves below the water line, but did NOT know about cutting the stem at an angle, or dipping them in alum. Will definitely add these 2 steps – thank you so much for this info! Pinning!

I am so grateful for this post. Now I’ll have the gumption to cut one bloom from my beautiful hydrangea that was a mother’s day gift from two years ago, and enjoy seeing it inside my home. Yes, I’ll start with only one to be sure it works for me as this plant is my treasured favorite.

Hi Bev, Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of success with my hydrangeas blooming either. I have endless summer and annabelle but neither variety blooms well. I have 3 limelights that do bloom beautifully. I fertilize them in the spring with Bloom Booster from Miracle Gro. I’m not sure if it’s organic or not. They get sun until early afternoon so I think they are in the perfect place.

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